In hard times, Americans usually go to the movies.  During the Great Depression, Hollywood was a boomtown.  During the recession of 1982, attendance went up 10% (and ET became the highest grossing film of all time).  But with the film industry's recent struggles over contracts with writers and actors, and the myriad new ways for consumers to access films without going to the cinema, it was no given that movie attendance would go up during the current recession.  But it has. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the story: 

The economy's a horror show? Try telling that to Harman Moseley. The operator of the Galleria, Chase Park Plaza and Moolah movie theaters says business has never been better.

"It's like Christmas every day," he said. "We had the best February in our history, and we're expecting to set another record in March."

The local Wehrenberg theater chain also reports that business is booming. "People are rediscovering movies as an affordable source of entertainment," said Kelly Hoskins, the company's director of marketing.

It's the same story nationwide. According to the box office tracking service Media By Numbers, movie attendance in the first quarter of 2009 is up 12 percent over the same period last year. The box office gross for the same period was $2 billion, a 14 percent jump from 2008.

Read the full article here.